


"We know what we are, but know not what we may be"

by thedissonantnote



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), The Lion King (1994)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Mostly fluff with a bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-08 21:44:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4321863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedissonantnote/pseuds/thedissonantnote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The unthinkable just happened, a "The Lion King" AU! Don't blame me, I have a strong imagination (powered by this amazing fandom) and strong childhood memories.</p><p>It's basically a rewrite of the movie, with a few details changed to make the Carmilla characters fit. Hope you enjoy it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. “I laugh in the face of danger!”

“Laura, no”

“But dad, I wanna go play!” said Laura pouting. She knew her father couldn’t resist her pouting.

“I’ve told you a million times already, you can go play inside our borders, not outside” he said as he sat down next to her, admiring the view “Look, everything the light touches is our kingdom. A king’s time as a ruler rises and falls like the sun. You are my only child Laura and, one day, the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new queen. That place is filled with evil, and I don’t want you going there, okay?”

“Yes, dad” she said with her head low, because she couldn’t meet his eyes. She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t able to do whatever she wanted; she was the king’s daughter, right? She could do whatever pleased her and one day, when she became queen, she was going to rule and go wherever she wanted, whenever she felt like it.

“Alright then, go play now. I have some work to do.” He turned around and, as Laura walked away, he decided to call someone to go with her; that kid had a wild imagination and he was worried something could happen to her. And who better to watch her child from doing anything risky than the very voice of reason? That’s why he said: “Perzu! Come here please!”

A few seconds later, a small blue bird showed up, ready for duty as always.

“Your majesty” she said as she bowed right next to him “how can I help you today?”

“Follow Laura, she’s been asking about “that place” again; I don’t want her near there; please make sure she’s safe”

“Of course, your majesty”

With that Perzu departed, following Laura as she played around with the other lions. She stayed with them for a while but eventually they went home and Laura was left alone, as always. She was used to it by now, ever since her mother died the other lions felt sorry for her and that’s something Laura hated. She didn’t want to have friends who were around only because they felt sorry for her, she wanted real friends. She started walking again, now aware that Perzu was right behind her, probably sent by her father to “make sure she was safe”. She was the King’s daughter; she could handle herself just fine.

After wondering for a while, they came upon Lafiki’s tree and Lafiki themselves, who were hanging lazily from one of the branches while singing a song.

“Asante sana, squash banana

We we nugu, imi mi pana

Asante sana, squash–”they stopped as soon as they saw Perzu coming.

“Hello there, Lafiki. How are you?” said Laura with a smile. She adored Lafiki, they always told the craziest stories and always seemed to know everything.

“The question is: how are you?”

Laura wanted to tell them, she really did. She wanted to tell them she was sad, lonely, tired of being told she couldn’t do this, or that. Tired of being told she was too young to understand, that she had to wait, that someday she’ll know. Tired of her father being scared of everything; tired of having Perzu follow her around all the time. But she couldn’t tell them that, not with Perzu around. Perzu would tell her father and, even if she was mad at him, she knew it wasn’t easy for him after her mother died. It wouldn’t be fair for her to do that. She gazed at the “dark place” as her father called it, and had an idea. She was going to go, no matter what.

“I’m doing just fine Lafiki, thanks for asking. Although, I’m feeling a bit confused you see, my father told me I can’t go over there” she said as she pointed the place her father had told her not to go “and I don’t really know why.”

“I’ve told you a million times, Laura” barged in Perzu “That place is dangerous, it’s an elephant’s cemetery after all!” she suddenly covered her mouth; Laura wasn’t supposed to know, for that would make her even more curious.

“An elephant’s cemetery?!” said Laura with wide eyes.

“You’ve done it now, Perr” said Lafiki, who seemed pretty entertained with it all.

This was a revelation; if she wanted to go there before, she was even more willing to go now. She couldn’t let it show though; Perzu wouldn’t stop following her if she did, so she said: “Alright, I guess that solves the mystery. No reason to think about it anymore, right? I’ll come back home now, I want to take a nap. Bye Lafiki, bye Perzu!” she said as she slowly started to walk away.

“You realize she’s not going to let go, right?” said Lafiki with a huge grin.

“What should I do then? If she goes, the King will kill me”

“Follow her without her noticing, that’s what I’d do anyway. Now I’m going back to work, all those potions won’t make themselves you know”

“Good idea. Thanks Lafiki, I’ll see you later!” And so Perzu flew really high, so Laura wouldn’t see her and stared following her trail. “She has always been curious and stubborn as nobody I’ve seen” thought Perzu “I doubt she’ll forget easily about that idea. I don’t understand why she has to go looking for trouble all the time” and so she started remembering all the times that Laura had gotten into trouble and, by the time she started paying attention to her surroundings again, Laura was nowhere to be seen.

“I’ve lost Laura!” Perzu yelled with horror “The king is going to kill me!”


	2. What's the motto with you, Laura?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two, in which Laura is chased by Willy Boy and his lackeys, and is saved by a broody, almost black lion.

“I lost her! I finally lost her!” said Laura with a huge smile while she ran through a small group of trees “I knew I could lose her if I ran fast enough! Now, where is that cemetery?” she looked around until she saw it and began running towards it, filled with excitement and joy for she finally felt free and happy.

She ran for some time until finally, she found a cliff and beyond that cliff, she could see some giant bones which evidently used to belong to elephants. She tried to go down the cliff carefully but, clumsy as she was, she fell into the ground hitting some bones in the progress, making a huge mess.

“Oh no” she said a bit later, gasping “I think I’ve heard a noise” She was right. All that fuss she had made alerted someone, although she didn’t know who and really didn’t want to find out. Still, she didn’t want to leave, not after all the trouble she went through to get there. So, she decided to hide inside an elephant’s skull that was near her. She stayed there for some time and, as soon as she was sure the danger had passed, decided it was safe enough to get out again.

After wondering for some time, she was startled by someone who was yelling: “Laura! Laura, where are you?” It was Perzu, who had found her. Laura started running, looking for a place to hide when suddenly Perzu stood in front of her.

“What are you doing here, young lady? You are not supposed to go outside the kingdom”

“But-“

“Do not ‘But’ me” she said as she pecked Laura with that giant peak of hers “This place is dangerous and we must get out of here right now, before something happens!”

“Ha! Dangerous you say? Are you serious? I’m the King’s daughter, what could happen to me?”

Just as she said that, someone laughed behind her and, right from inside the elephant skull she was thinking about hiding in a few moments ago, came a big brown lion followed by two hyenas.

“Oh no...” said Perzu in a whisper.

“Well, well, what have we here?” said the big lion “A young little lion and, oh, but if it isn’t the King’s little blue lackey! What was your name again? Was it Zuzu?” he said as he pretended to be trying really hard to remember.

“It is Perzu, thank you very much” Perzu said, standing straight trying to seem confident “And we were just leaving, so goodbye”

“Oh, but you can’t leave so soon! Where would be the fun in that? Right, boys?” he asked at the two hyenas, that started laughing “Tell me now, do you know what we do to kings who step out of their kingdom?”

“As I said, we were just leaving-“

“I’ll give you an advice: run” said one of the hyenas as she lunged towards them. Immediately, Perzu and Laura started running.

The cemetery was like a maze, filled with fallen bones that formed strange paths. They never looked back, and thought they had lost them when suddenly the lion came from behind of a giant skeleton and hit Perzu, who was flying really low in an attempt to stay close to Laura, in the back making her fall to the ground and lose consciousness.

“Crap! Perzu!” said Laura as she grabbed her with her mouth, dodged the lion and ran through another skeleton. She kept running until she found a giant cliff, probably part of the one she fell before. She stopped and, as she turned around, she found herself trapped, the big lion and the hyenas now standing in front of her.

“End of the road, little kitten” said the lion with a huge smirk, the hyenas laughing behind him.

“We are gonna have a feast, boss” said one of the hyenas, licking her lips.

“This is it” thought Laura, “Dad was right, I’m still too young, I shouldn’t have come here. I should have listened to him. Oh dad I’m sorry”

Just as the lion took a step forward, a loud roar was heard and, before Laura noticed, there was a dark brown lion, almost black, standing in front of her, facing the other lion.

“Mind telling me what it is you’re doing, little brother?” said the almost black lion.

“Well, hey there kitty! Just about to have a little snack”

“You know we don’t kill potential allies, Willy Boy. You already made that mistake once, remember? Wanna do it again?”

“Maman is not recruiting now, and it’ll be worth it just to screw with you” he said with a smirk

At that, the dark lion hiss at the two hyenas, which ran scared and were out of sight within seconds. Then, she pounced towards the other lion, and they started fighting. She was considerably stronger than him, and after biting him in the neck, he stepped back and said in a low angry voice “You’re gonna regret that, Kitty” After this, he ran away and Laura was left with the almost black lion who, even though was bigger than her, seemed to be about her age.

“Sorry about Willy Boy, he could never learn proper manners. My name is Carmilla, who are you?”

“My name is Laura, and the unconscious bird is Perzu”

“Wait a minute, Perzu as in the King’s majordomo? And Laura as in the King’s daughter, the Princess?” said Carmilla with wide eyes, bowing a little

“Well... Yes, although I’m not sure I deserve to be that after all the trouble I’ve caused” said Laura with a sad expression. She was really scared right now and even though Carmilla seemed nice enough, she did hang out with those hyenas and that lion she called “Willy Boy” (which Laura was sure was a nickname for Will or William), so she couldn’t be trusted either, not entirely anyway. Still, something about her dark eyes and shy smile made Laura think that maybe she wasn’t as bad as the rest; Carmilla did defend her after all.

“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but your father has to know” she looked around before whispering into Laura’s ear “Someone, I can’t tell you who, is planning to murder your father and take over the throne”

“What?”

“Yes, I know it sounds crazy and you have no reason to believe me, but it’s the truth. Think about it, your father has no brothers, and you’re just a child.”

“I’m not-“ Laura began, but the look in Carmilla’s eyes made her close her mouth shut.

“Yes you are, you could be queen, sure, but you still have a lot to learn and I highly doubt the person who kills your father will have any intentions of letting you live. With you and your father gone, the royal family will be over and the people will go crazy. This person I’m talking about is cunning, very cunning, and will make sure the people think they’re the logical choice. Please, you have to warn your father”

“But, why do you care?” This all sounded fake in Laura’s mind, this lion seemed to be part of the group, why would she warn her? It felt like a trap to Laura.

“Because I can picture what that new kingdom will be like, and I don’t want that. I would stop it if I could, but I can’t leave this place”

“Why?”

“It’s... Complicated” she said simply; Laura had the feeling she wasn’t going to get anything more from her, even though Carmilla seemed to want her know it all. “Still, you have to believe me, I’m telling you the truth, I swear”

“Alright, I believe you” Laura looked into Carmilla’s eyes and she saw the truth in them. She believed her, and she was going to tell her father as soon as she went out of there.

“Good, you must go now, the others will be back soon, and they can’t find you here. Go, and never come back, you don’t belong here.”

Suddenly, Laura had an idea “Come with me” she said. Carmilla said she couldn’t, but that sounded dramatic; she should be with the rest of the lions, not here with those hyenas, surrounded by dead elephants.

“I wish I could, but I can’t. Now go!” said Carmilla as she pointed the exit to Laura, who looked at her and, when it became clear that Carmilla was trapped for some reason she didn’t understand and was serious about not being able to leave, she grabbed Perzu and began running back to her kingdom, to where her father and her punishment were waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I could have waited, but I wrote it and wanted to publish it right away. It's pretty late here, so it probably doesn't make any sense.
> 
> If you find any mistakes (or have ideas about anything), please let me know. Thanks, and enjoy!
> 
> Again, the chapter's title is a reference to the movie.


	3. Something wicked this way comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we know more about that "evil plan", and Laura sets out on a mission to save the kingdom

“That is ridiculous!” her father said, pacing around the room as he did every time he was angry. He had been listening pretty patiently to her, until she got to the murder part. “Some hyenas trying to kill me? Please Laura; they can barely gather their thoughts two seconds to stop laughing”

“But-“

“And don’t even get me started on the fact that you disobeyed me! I’ve told you a million times, that place is dangerous and off-limits! Why can’t you obey me for once in your life?” he stared at her and she could see that, even though he was really angry, he was more concerned over what could have happened to her “Ever since your mother died, I’ve tried to do the best for you, but I...” he seemed to be on the verge of crying “I can’t do it alone, honey”

“Dad I... I’m sorry” she meant that, sometimes it can be easy to forget that all those rules were there to keep her safe. She understood now, no matter whom you are, bad things can always happen. Still, she believed what Carmilla said, if her father wasn’t going to listen, she had to find someone who would.

“I know honey” he said as he hugged her “Go to bed now, it’s been a long day”

And with that he left, leaving Laura to think how she was going to prevent the fall of her kingdom. She had to find someone who would listen, but she didn’t know who. Perzu wouldn’t ever consider listening to her (she had an obsession with stability and order, and believed the King’s word was sacred), the lions would simply laugh at her, and she had nobody else except... Lafiki! That was it! She would go to Lafiki’s tree tomorrow, and tell them everything. Lafiki could be eccentric, and a bit crazy (a bit meaning a lot), but they knew everyone and everything worth knowing and, more importantly, they were wise and would listen to her and, if she was lucky, take her seriously. With her mind set, she went to bed and dreamed of a cute black lion running free right next to her in the big, beautiful savannah.

 

* * *

 

“I won’t do it”

“You have to, Carmilla; and I don’t want to hear about it again” said Maman, who was resting lazily in an elephant's tusk.

“You can’t do this”

“What did you say to me?” Maman stood up and faced Carmilla “I can and I will, and you will obey me; right, William?”

“Yes, Maman” said Will, who was standing a few meters away “Your will shall be done; I’ll make sure of that”

“Thank you, my dear boy. And you don’t get to say that to me, Carmilla. Not after you attacked poor William here, in an attempt to save the King’s daughter no less! We could have killed her right there! And calling her a ‘potential ally’? Are you serious, Carmilla? I know you’re smarter than this, so do not play with me. You will be punished. William, go prepare the cage please”

“Yes, Mother” he said as he bowed and left the room in a hurry, leaving Carmilla alone with Maman; this wouldn’t end well, and Carmilla knew it. The best she could do was not fight it, she was used to the pain by now, along with the scars it left.

“That dirty king, who does he think he is?” said Maman as she paced the room, “Leaving us here to starve! Betrayal to the kingdom, he claims, as if he knew what those words mean. A true betrayal was the murder of my grandfather by his grandfather, taking over the throne from his poor dead claws. I will bring back our old glory! I will save this kingdom from that traitor and you “She said turning to Carmilla, standing so tall in front of her that she seemed incredibly small in comparison “will help me, if you ever want to get out of here. You are a child, and you understand nothing but don’t worry, I’ll make you understand” With that, she bit Carmilla, who didn’t even try to defend herself. She knew it was useless.

Once Maman made sure it would leave a mark and considered it enough, she stopped and said to Carmilla “You know I hate to do this, my dear. You are my precious glittering diamond after all, but you still don’t understand the importance of responsibility, of legacy, of power. Don’t worry my dear, I will teach you. Now come on, you know what to do”

Indeed, Carmilla knew what to do. She was going to spend some time in the cage, and she would only get out when Maman believed it necessary. And so she walked towards her punishment, embracing it. She refused to let that poor cub get hurt, and she wasn’t going to be a part of Maman’s plan. In fact, she would try to put an end to it but for that, she would need a plan or her own. This time in the cage would give Carmilla the opportunity to think and come up with something that would stop Maman and her army of hyenas. She only hoped Laura’s dad believed her; if not, everything would be lost.

“I hope you enjoy your time here, Kitten. I now have your mission, so the glory will be mine, and mine only” said William with a huge grin

“You’re such a Mama’s boy. Go ahead and take your precious and worthless glory, it will mean nothing once you ruin this land and the lives of the people who live here”

And with that, Carmilla entered the cage and watched William go. Her only thought was of Laura, and how she was now in a great danger. “I hope you can take care of yourself, cutie; because it’s gonna be hard to help you from here”

 

* * *

 

Laura woke up with the sun, for she was really anxious to talk with Lafiki and as soon as she could, she headed for the big tree. This time, Lafiki wasn’t resting in one of the branches, they were working on something that seemed pretty important and, even though Laura didn’t want to disturb them, she felt this was really urgent and decided to enter anyway.

“Hello Lafiki!”

“Hey little Laura!” they said with a huge smile, “I’ll be with you in a minute, let me finish this potion” they said as they put some strange liquid into a bowl, mixing it with spices and leafs. Laura had no idea what it was, but it smelled pretty good. Once it was done, Lafiki turned to her and noticed something strange was going on “I know something is bothering you; come and tell old Lafiki here what it is”

And so Laura sat next to them and started telling her story. Lafiki listened quietly and, after she was done, they put their hand on their chin and stood still for so long Laura was beginning to think they were a statue and not the real Lafiki.

“I have an idea but you must tell me: do you know who is behind this, or when they’ll attack?”

“No” Why didn’t she ask when, or who? She felt so stupid, that was crucial information “But I’m guessing it can’t be a hyena, dad always said they’re useless and can barely stop to think”

“Yes, true. This lion that helped you; you said her name was Carmilla?”

“Yes, and she has a brother, I think his name is William”

“It is as I feared then” Lafiki started pacing the room and ended up grabbing a big book “Here you can find the whole story of our kingdom. One of my responsibilities is to keep it up-to-date. Give me a minute” they started going throw the pages, until they stopped in a page that depicted a lion that looked exactly like William, only older.

“Wait! That lion looks exactly like William, the lion who attacked me”

“This is Lord Vordenberg Karnstein, he was King long ago. He terrorized and ruined this land, and one day the people had enough and rebelled against him, with your grandfather as the leader. After a long fight, the Karnsteins where banished from this land, and forced to live beyond our borders. We thought there wasn’t any more of them, but it seems we were wrong. And now, they’re trying to seize power once again, and allying themselves with hyenas, no less! We must stop this madness!”

“What do we do, Lafiki?” Laura wanted to help, now more than ever. Carmilla was saying the truth and if she didn’t stop this, the kingdom as she knew it would end.

“I’m going to send you on a very important mission, Laura. But first, you’re going to need allies. You can’t do this on your own, and the lions won’t listen. You must find Danny and Kirsch; they live in the borders of our kingdom, near the jungle. I can’t go with you; I need time to make a potion. I’ll tell you about your task once you return with them, now go!”

"Yes Lafiki! Thank you!"

Laura started running. The kingdom was big, and even though it was early, reaching the jungle would take her the whole day. She still didn’t know what Lafiki planned, but the sooner she came back, the sooner the plan could begin.


	4. "Hakuna Matata"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet the most amazing duo, and the real mission begins.

The heat was unbearable, not even a single tree nearby to stop to catch a breath. No water to drink. Still, Laura kept walking. The sun was setting and, if she tried hard enough, she could see the jungle, she only had to go a little bit... Wait! “That looks like water” she thought as she started running with all the little strength she had left. She reached the place but, it was only an empty hole “It was only a mirage” she thought as she started walking again.

She couldn’t go much further, her vision was starting to blurry and before she knew it, everything faded to...

“Shut up, you idiot! You’ll wake her up!”

Laura opened her eyes, only to be met by a huge warthog standing above her “See? Now you woke her up, beefcake” That wasn’t the warthog and Laura couldn’t see anything beyond him, and was still very dizzy to speak.

“Well hello there, little hottie! We thought you were dead” said the warthog as he moved back a little

“Not ‘we’, only you. I told you she was alive” Laura turned her head to see a small ginger suricate holding a leaf with water “Here, drink up” she said with a smile

Laura did as she was told, and felt better right away “thank you, who are you?”

“Well, I’m Danny and this is Kirsch and, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re in the jungle”

She was right; Laura stood up and looked around her. She wasn’t really in the deepest of the jungle, but enough so that she couldn’t see the savannah. Danny and Kirsch she said? Those were the people Lafiki told her to look for! That made things easier, although she had no idea how to go back, or how long it had passed since she started her journey.

“I know we just met, but I must ask you for something” she said as they sat down, listening to her. She told them everything: who she was; her little adventure to the cemetery, what Lafiki told her and, when she was done, Danny stared at Kirsch and he nodded. One second later they were packing food for the journey.

They talked a lot on the way back; it seems Laura had been unconscious for a day, and they still had a long way home, maybe another day or two. She hoped they weren’t late and that the kingdom was okay.

 

* * *

Lilita heard footsteps approaching and turned around to see William walking slowly towards her.

“My boy, you’re back. Give me a full report”

“Yes, Maman” he said as he bowed a little (manners first, that’s what Maman always said) “The mission was a failure” he said with a sad voice.

“What?”

“I couldn’t find her. The ‘princess’” he said the term with obvious disgust “was nowhere to be seen and I couldn’t get to close to the King or it would blow my cover: I may be a lion like the rest, but that stupid bird knows who I am and, if she saw me, she would tell the king and all would be lost. I’m sorry, Mother”

“This will complicate matters. The King must know we’re here now. You should have killed that stupid cub when you had the chance; if only...” she shook her head, now was not the time.

“They don’t know who we are; she only saw lions who tried to attack her. She knows nothing”

“Still, it’s dangerous William. We will have to rush things. Prepare the troops to move tomorrow at sunrise. It’s been two days since your encounter with the cub. If we’re lucky, they won’t be expecting us”

“Yes, Mother” he turned around in order to leave the room when he remember: “But Mother, what about Carmilla?”

“Don’t worry about her; she’s my problem to fix. Now go, we’ll talk later”

As William walked out of the room, Lilita turned towards the direction Carmilla was. She would have to do something about her; if they were leaving, she couldn’t stay there, trapped. Still, she couldn’t be free either: she was too dangerous. There was only one solution, but she couldn’t even say it in her mind. It was time to prepare for war; she could always leave the dirty work to William. He would be more than willing, she was sure of it.

 

* * *

“There it is! Lafiki’s tree” said Laura as they approached the tree. She saw Lakifi talking to Perzu, and they both turned as soon as they saw her.

“Laura! Oh Laura, I’ve been so worried” said Perzu as she rushed towards her. To Laura, Perzu had always been this crazy aunt, the one that really cares for you and makes socks for you to wear on winter; maybe she worried too much sometimes, but Laura didn’t mind now, she was glad to see her “I thought you were never coming back, I have to tell the King!” and with that, she flew off as fast as she could.

“So, you did it!” said Lafiki with a huge grin “I knew you would! Now come inside, the three of you. There’s something we must discuss”

Laura discovered that Danny and Lafiki went way back; it seems that Danny was as popular as Lafiki, which didn’t feel like a surprise at and she couldn’t help but smile when she saw Kirsch trying to fit in by doing terrible jokes, that earned some sly looks from Danny.

They all sat and listened to Lafiki, who was now holding a small jar filled with some strange green liquid (Laura didn’t know what it was, and feared asking) in one hand and the giant old book in the other. They explained the mission in full detail, but Laura only remembered the key point: if the Karnsteins really had an army of hyenas, they could do some serious damage to the kingdom, maybe even win, so in order to win they had to get rid of that army. The plan was to sneak past the hyena territory, right up to the place where they lived and poison the small lake they drank from. That would kill them all within days, leaving the lions without an army and then, they would go again and finish the job (which apparently was too dangerous for the three of them and so they wouldn’t go a second time).

Once they knew what they had to do, Lafiki gave them the jar and some supplies and wished them good luck. If everything went right, they would be back by tomorrow, and hopefully everything would be over in a few days. Kirsch led the way while singing a song he called “Hakuna Matata” which, as far as Laura could understand, talked about living happy and without worries.  She wished she could do that.


	5. Prison break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the plan is executed to perfection... Well, kinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know how many fans this thing has, but I got a lovely comment from AW_Puff, and I actually felt the need to continue writing this. Thank you so much for all your comments, and I hope you like this.

The sun was setting in the horizon, leaving a beautiful trail of light, and giving an almost romantic touch to their moving shadows, as they walked towards the elephant cemetery. With a bit of luck, they'd be there in a few hours, which gave Laura time to think. In on the one hand, she was happy she might get to see Carmilla once again; in the other, she was terrified of their mission and what it entailed. Not even a week ago she was playing around, never having to worry about anything, doing what she pleased, thinking that being a king and taking care of the kingdom was an easy thing. She couldn't have been more wrong. Still, she was glad of having that little adventure; otherwise, they might have never known and they could've lost the kingdom. She was torn. Her father had always told her duty came first, but he had also told her she was too young to actually have a responsibility like that. She didn't know what to think. Maybe having all this time to think wasn't a good idea.

They finally arrived to the cemetery. It was pretty late now, and everyone was sleeping. "Come on, the lake is over here", said Danny, who clearly knew what she was doing. Kirsch and Laura followed her through skeleton and small passages until they found it. Danny kneeled and checked the water, "They're probably going to move soon but, before they leave, they'll drink here, and that'll be it. Goodbye army", she said with a chuckle.

"Not cool bro; I know we're helping the kingdom, but this still feels wrong", said Kirsch, as he gave Danny the jar, so she could dump it into the water. There seemed to be no apparent difference, but Laura knew now the whole lake was a deadly trap, and that as soon as anyone tried to drink from it, they'd start to feel really bad until they finally died.

"I know Kirsch", said Laura with a determinate expression. She was done second guessing, it was either them or her whole kingdom; "But we still have to do this. Come on, let's go. We're done."

As they walked away from the lake, heading towards the passage Danny had showed them, Kirsch, as he always had to do something stupid (at least according to Danny), he stumbled upon a bunch of bones, making a huge mess. "Who's there?!", someone said.

"Good damn it, Kirsch! You can't do anything right, can you?", said Danny as she dragged them both through another passage, hoping they wouldn't use it and find them.

As they ran down the passage, and Kirsch apologized, they heard steps that apparently came from the other passage. Danny was right after all.

 

* * *

 

Carmilla heard a thud, and even before she had time to wonder what it could be, a tiny lion entered the room running, followed by an abnormally tall ginger suricate and what seemed to be a warthog, but actually looked more like a lost puppy. It wasn't any Lion, it was Laura.

"Your majesty, how fancy meeting you here", she said while bowing a little. She might be trapped in a cage, but she still had some dignity, and puns, up her sleeve.

Laura didn't answer, instead, she ran towards Carm, smiling.

"Whoa cupcake, take it easy. Not in front of the kids"

"Ha ha, very funny", she said sarcastically, "I just can't believe I found you. What are you doing in there, by the way?"

Carmilla sighed: how could she explain it to her? She didn't know how, and even if she did, this wasn't the place or the time. "Just part of my mommy issues; really it's no big deal. You have to go, I just heard a noise and, if I know my mom's goons as I think I do, they'll be here in any minute, just to check if I didn't try to escape... again."

"I'm not leaving without you."

"What?! Laura, are you serious?! We have to leave, now" said Danny, and Laura could swear she could see lightning coming out of her eyes.

"She's right bro, we can't leave this cutie here. Hotties shouldn't be locked up, that's just wrong" said Kirsch, as he approached the cage, trying to open the door.

"Figures you'd agree with her. You know what? I'm-", before she could finish the sentence, a man's voice said: "Well, well; what have we here?"

Damn it. Laura knew that voice. As she turned around, she was faced by Carmilla's brother, William. "Too bad you didn't tell me your friends were coming, Kitty cat. I would have made something for them", he said smiling and with that, he jumped towards Laura. She saw him out of the corner of her eye, and dodged just in time, making him fly above her, crashing against the wall.

"Don't do this, Willy boy. You'll regret it"

"I don't think so, Kitty. This ends now.", he said as he tried to attack Laura again. She continued dodging, while Kirsch tried to open the door. Danny, frustrated with the whole thing, grabbed a rock that was laying around and threw her towards William. "Hey, aren't you forgetting someone here?". William ignored her, even though the rock hit him in the face, and kept trying to attack Laura, who kept trying to do her best to avoid him.

"It won't open!" said Kirsch, frustrated.

"You're so useless!" yelled Danny, "Step aside". He did. In less than two seconds she had the door open. "Men. You are worthless."

Just as this happened, William had Laura decked against the wall, and was about to throw the final blow, when Carmilla ran outside the cage and jumped towards him, biting him in the neck and not letting go, no matter how much he struggled. A few seconds later, it was all over. He was dead. Carmilla looked into Laura's eyes and saw fear, but also a seemingly infinite gratitude and kindness. Damn, she could get lost in those brown eyes.

"Thanks, Carm.", she said as she kissed her cheek (Carm blushing a bit in the process).

"Sure thing cupcake; we have to go now, they'll know what's happening and we don't have time to lose."

"Finally, someone who agrees with me. Let's go guys, our work is done."

And with that, they walked away, taking a small passage to their right, that allowed them to escape undetected. They had a lot of work to do and now they had a witness. Laura was sure Carmilla would be more than willing to help them fight her mother; and she was sure her father would believe her. She was hoping she was right.


	6. When the lights go out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Listen up, everyone. I assume you know why I called you, but I will say it anyway: the hyenas finally found a leader: Lilita Morgan. She was part of the Karnstein dynasty, as many of you will remember. My daughter and her friends managed to get rid of her army. But I know her. She will not rest until we are under her power. I will not let this kingdom fall apart. I'm going to fight her, tonight. I will go to that blasted cemetery she calls home and get rid of her and anyone who might support her. Are you with me?"

"So it was true, after all. Who would have thought?" said the King, as he stared at Laura, a hint of pride in his eyes. Yes, she had disobeyed him, but she had followed her instincts, and she had found out the biggest conspiracy the kingdom has ever been a victim of. He had to give her credit, for someone so little she was as smart as she was stubborn-and everybody knew there was no one as stubborn as Little Laura.

He hadn't been sure about this Carmilla when he first saw her; but after hearing her whole story, how her Mother abused her, how she had locked her up, how she planned to take over, he was convinced she was telling the truth. He could see something shine within her when she looked at Laura-maybe it was gratitude, or mere happiness; but he was sure it was something else entirely. He had decided she could stay in the kingdom, and he could see he had made the right choice because, as soon as he said so, Laura gave him a huge hug and smiled like he had never seen her before. Maybe it was something else indeed.

If their plan had truly worked, this meant they would need to attack that very night, so they could make sure no one escaped. He had sent Perzu and Lafiki to gather everyone that would fight for the kingdom. They came without second-guessing, his people were loyal and he was proud to call them his family.

"Listen up, everyone. I assume you know why I called you, but I will say it anyway: the hyenas finally found a leader: Lilita Morgan. She was part of the Karnstein dynasty, as many of you will remember. My daughter and her friends," he said pointing towards Laura, who was standing next to Carmilla, Danny and Kirsch "managed to get rid of her army. But I know her. She will not rest until we are under her power. I will not let this kingdom fall apart. I'm going to fight her, tonight. I will go to that blasted cemetery she calls home and get rid of her and anyone who might support her. Are you with me?"

A loud battle cry was heard, the beautiful cacophony sounding like the answer of a question no one asked: are you willing to do anything for this kingdom? Are you willing to risk it all for you home? They certainly were.

 

* * *

 

As the King prepared himself for the incoming battle, Carmilla approached him. "Excuse me, Your Majesty? Could I talk to you for a moment?"

He turned around to face her, she was bowing, her head down, waiting for him to tell her to raise. _This girl has manners alright,_ he thought. "Raise, child. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, it's something I can do for you, Sir. You see, that cemetery has been my mother's home for ages, and she has a lot of secret passages and hiding places. You don't know any of them, you won't have the upper hand unless-unless you take someone with you, someone who does."

"I assume you mean you"

"Yes. I do." Carmilla didn't tell him there were other reasons for her to go, besides saving the kingdom. She didn't tell him she actually wanted to see her mother die-to kill her herself, if she could. She didn't know how he would take it nor saw it necessary. There are some things that are not meant to be shared.

"Well, although I think you might be a bit young for this, I also agree. You can come"

"If she goes, I'm going" said Laura, rushing into the room. "There is no way I'm staying here. I'm going"

"Laura, honey-"

"No, dad. If Carmilla goes, I'm going"

Carmilla stared at Laura, eternal gratitude in her eyes. She somehow knew Laura wasn't only going because she wanted to be there, she was also going to make sure Carmilla was alright. They both knew this, somehow. She was starting to fall for this little lion, hard. _Damn it, Carmilla! Hold it together!_

The King sighed, defeated-Was there anything he could deny her? "Alright, you can go too, but you'll have to be careful, okay?"

"Yes, dad."

"And you have to do everything I say, understood?"

"Yes, dad."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will keep her safe."

"I hope so, kiddo. I hope so," he said, a small smile threatening to appear on his lips. Yes, it was definitely something more.

 

* * *

 

They walked towards the cemetery that night, ready for anything. Laura walked behind her father, Carmilla next to her. Kirsch and Danny volunteered to go, claiming they were not going to back down now. Danny believed this to be a good cause, and she was ready to give her all for one. Kirsch claimed hotties would be a lot safer with Lilita gone. Danny had rolled her eyes at that-so hard Laura thought they might get stuck in there forever-but she admitted he had a point. They weren't leaving and Laura was really happy about that. Carmilla didn't seem to like either of them very much, but they did save her, so she didn't complain.

They arrived at the cemetery only to find a trail of dead bodies. There were hyenas everywhere, lying in strange positions.

"Well, I guess it did work after all" said Carmilla as she made her way through the bodies. "Your Majesty, my mother knows you were coming, she wouldn't have run-running would mean cowardice, which would mean dishonor. She must be waiting for you, and I know just the place.

Carmilla took them through a small, hidden passage and they arrived at a big cave. At the end of it, there was Lilita and a few of her lackeys. Carmilla was right, she had been waiting.

"Well, I suppose this is it. I will give you one chance to surrender"

Lilita snorted. "One chance? You're playing hero, now? Your family are a bunch of traitors and usurpers. I will not surrender. Ever." she saw Carmilla, who was standing next to the King. "You have even turned my darling daughter against me. She even killed my little Will; who will inherit your throne now? Do you see what you have done, Carmilla? You have brought shame to our family."

"No, Mother. You have"

"I see. Such is the way of things, it seems. Attack!"

Her lackeys moved fast, charging against the King and his troops; but Carmilla only had eyes for her mother, and she only seemed to have eyes for the King. She tried to attack him, but Carmilla stepped in the middle, taking the blow instead.

"Carmilla!" yelled Laura, who was too busy trying to avoid the blows of two hyenas. She couldn't fight back, they were too strong. She could only dodge their blows.

Carmilla stood up, a huge wound in her left side, blood dripping. The King regained balance and pounced towards Lilita. Carmilla was about to help when she saw Laura was being attacked by three hyenas. She was doing all she could, but she was too small to fight them and wouldn't hold on much longer. She ran towards one of the hyenas and jumped, biting their head, probably causing a lethal wound. She kept biting and biting until the hyena fell to the ground, dead. She then turned towards another one and repeated the process. When she was about to finish, she heard a cry of pain and saw Laura turn around and yell "No!! Dad, no!!"

She was too busy getting rid of the third hyena to see what was happening, but she could guess: the King was either wounded or dead. As soon as she could, she turned her head and saw Laura trying to attack her mother, who sent her flying with only one of her paws. The king was lying on the floor, almost too still to be alive.

Carmilla ran towards her mother, who was now heavily wounded, and bit her thigh. She managed to make her kneel, and then bit her neck, twisting it-just as she had taught her when she killed for the first time. She heard a crack and knew it was over. She raised her head only to see Laura, crying next to her father's body. Behind her, a few hyenas remained, the troops fighting them-they didn't need help, Laura did. She ran towards her and even though her first instinct was to hug her, she checked her father's pulse-it was mild, but still there.

"He's not gone, cupcake. Don't worry," she said, hugging her as soon as she saw the first tear leaver her eyes, "It'll be okay."

The battle had just finished, and everyone made an effort to carry the king's body back to the kingdom. Laura was silent the whole journey back-Carmilla couldn't believe she missed the silence, but she did. _Hopefully, things will be better by the morning,_ she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Don't forget to comment, it would help a lot.
> 
> For those curious about the title, there's no special reason, it is simply a quote from Hamlet (play in which the original movie is based)


End file.
